Like its
predecessors, the new Range Rover has its share of mechanical and electrical
peculiarities. In spite of the periodic news from Land Rover that their famous
quality control problems are solved, they still appear to lag behind other
manufacturers in this field. Here we attempt to address some of the commonly
encountered problems, based on the personal experiences of owners as well as
information gleaned from professional Land Rover mechanics and other sources. It
is hoped that passing on these experiences may make it easier for future
enthusiasts to deal with them without going through the RRIII ownership learning
curve.

Until about June
2005, most North American RRIII's were under factory warranty, so few details
emerged on do-it-yourself solutions and repair operations. Meanwhile, this page
has tried to help with issues that owners have identified but which Land Rover
has not yet officially acknowledged as problems needing widespread attention.
Also, information you as an owner supply here will help other owners identify the sources of the various
teething
problems and alert their dealers to the needed repairs. Later, after
warranties
have expired on the new models, and owners gain experience with
performing
their own repairs, more complex repair, overhaul and upgrade operations
will be covered in the Repair and
Upgrade
Operations
How-To section of this site.

Manuals, Instruments and Tools

To my knowledge manuals for
the latest model Rovers are no longer available in paper form,
unfortunately. They have to be ordered on CD. On the good side, the new
documentation is more comprehensive than the old paper manuals, and the
expense is well worth while.

Computer Code Access/Testbook Equivalents: To access the
fault
codes and other information for such systems as the air suspension,
cruise
control, transmission, ABS/traction control, and other non-engine
systems
the (expensive) dealer TestBook/T4 is now available to
non-dealer
buyers
as a standard Land Rover part. Cheaper substitutes in the $2,000-10,000
ballpark are the Autologic
Diagnosis System and the Rovacom
system, both from the UK. In the US, Atlantic British sells the
Autologic
system -- see this
page
on their website.
There is now an economy version of the Rovacom system (about $2,000)
that uses a standard notebook computer. For more info, see our Range Rover
Scan Tool
page.

OBD-II Code Scanner: These are now available for
under $200 and plug into the 16 pin connector under the passenger
side
dash. Although it will not tell you everything the dealer's "Testbook"
does, it can give you a lot of information about the engine and
transmission
fault codes specified by the OBD-II standard -- for example it will
tell
you why that pesky "Check Engine" light has come on. The Lowest
Price I have seen
for a
full
function hand-held OBD-II scanner is $114.99 for the Equus 3100 at Partsamerica.com.
It works on all US and foreign vehicles. For more information
on OBD-II scanners, see the Range
Rover Scan Tool
page.

Regarding tools, the new Range Rover should be modern
enough
to use entirely metric bolts so carrying
both metric and SAE wrenches should not be necessary. However, since
the
whole vehicle is dominated by electrics, a multimeter is essential to
trying
to do your own diagnostics.

ABS Sensor Dislodgement

I heard a scary story from Peter
Vorwerk about a friend of his who owns a RR Mk III. He was on a
trip
in Tunisia and suddenly couldn't get more than 30 km/h. He had an error
message telling him something about slippery ground conditions. The
local
garage could not help at all, due to the computerized nature of the
vehicle,
so he had to limp the next 500 km with a maximum speed of 30 km/h.
Because
the throttle is also electronic, he couldn't go any faster.

When he eventually made it to a dealer, they found out that an ABS
sensor
on one wheel got loosened by the rattling of the desert trails. The
system
diagnosed this as slippery condition (ice !) and disabled the car
(protected
the driver from himself) going more than this famous 30 km/h.

Stories like these make us wonder
if Land Rover has really thought
through
the predicaments that real off-road users encounter. The
pervasive
computerization
of the vehicles has led to a "mother hen" approach which definitely
works
against us when something goes wrong out in the field. Even on
the
4.0/4.6 models, when an ABS sensor gets dislodged, as it does
periodically,
it does not actually disable the vehicle in this draconian manner.

The Mk III air suspension is a further developed version of that
pioneered
on late model Classics and the entire model run of the 4.0/4.6. The
system seems to be somewhat improved in reliability, and I have heard
fewer reports of problems than with the earlier model. However there
are still plenty to go around! For quick diagnosis and repair, see the
page on Mk
III RR Air Suspension: Diagnosing and Fixing the Most Common Problems.

Banging and Clonking Noises
Off Road:
The RR III suspension makes very loud banging and clonking noises when
traversing rough terrain at anything faster than a crawl. These noises,
although highly irritating, seem to be "normal" and appear to be caused
by the suspension bottoming (or topping) out when coming off bumps or
dropping into depressions. The 4.0/4.6 also did this to a lesser
extent. The problem seems to be related to overly stiff spring and
shock settings combined with inadequate bump stop and extension stop
compliance. This "feature", which the Classic Range Rover certainly
never had, was finally eliminated in the Discovery 3/LR3 suspension
design which gave a much smoother and quieter ride over rough terrain
akin to the original Range Rover ideal as expressed in the Classic.

Sinking to the Bump
Stops:The most annoying feature of all Range Rover air
suspensions is the tendency for the ECU to declare a fault and lower
the vehicle to the bump stops at the slightest provocation -- and the
fact that to recover from this condition (even after you have replaced
a leaking spring or whatever else caused the problem) requires a trip
to the dealer. The nearest dealer may be a very long way away if you
are using your vehicle off pavement as intended. A vehicle
intended to
be driven far from civilization should be designed
to make it easy for owners to overcome malfunctions in the field due to
minor faults. Indeed, the new design is a significant
improvement in this important respect; if you manage to diagnose and
repair the problem in the field, the suspension will return to normal
operation, unlike the previous model which still had to be taken to a
dealer to reset the computer. Also, its failure mode is more often the
"Air Suspension Inactive" message accompanied by the system being
frozen at normal height, which is nowhere near as bad as on the bump
stops.

Unfortunately in spite of these improvements I have heard a fair
share of horror stories. One owner in North Africa had a several
hundred mile drive to the
nearest dealer on the
bump stops. Soren Svenningsen
reported that at 21,000 miles, his EAS
completely failed and went into bump stop mode twice.
First time at midnight in a
snowstorm, all lights (ABS, EAS etc.) and warning
messages came on, the
car slowed to a crawl and settled on the bumper stops. Flat-bedded to
the dealer, the service computer showed several faults and the air
suspension ECU was replaced. 3 days later, the system failed
again exactly as the first time. With the R.R. is again back in the
shop, the tech's analyzed all sensors (ABS etc.) including the
cut-out
rollover switch, which can cut all systems out if malfunctioning.
Compressor, pressure etc. were totally normal, no leaks. The problem
turned out to be the brake master cylinder malfunctioning and sending
signals to the computer telling all the ABS, EAS systems etc to shut
down. (See "Faulty Brake Switch" below).

Freezing at Normal Height
(with "Suspension Inactive" Message)
I have had a number of owners reporting faults causing the suspension
to
freeze at one
height. Richard
Conway reports "In the last month I
have had 3 occurrences of
the "Air Suspension Inactive" warnings. Each time it needed resetting
from the dealer. On each occasion it stayed in normal height mode
but wouldn't let me lower or raise the vehicle. I
noticed each time that warning alert happened was
when it was a freezing cold morning. The dealer said that on
each occasion no specific
fault information has been found in the ECU and that the suspension is
okay". John Zawada had the same problem with his 2005 model, and the
dealer tried to fix it by updating the software with an upgrade ("Disk
19"). One owner wrote in to say this problem was initially cured by
replacing the compressor, but a year later recurred and was finally
resolved by the dealer replacing the pressure switch, a recall item.
The causes of these problems have since been recognized by Land Rover,
as follows:
1. The pressure switch (ANR3902) is subject to intermittent sticking,
producing a false Testbook diagnosis of "inlet solenoid valve
sticking".
2. Compressor overheat signals can be produced by the early air
suspension ECU software (up to VIN number 4A155162), storing code 41
"Compressor Temperature Rises when Static". The software can be updated
using TestBook to allow higher operating temperatures. If this does not
fix the problem, the problem may lie elsewhere such as a bad compressor
or temperature sensor.

Freezing in High Profile
Freezing in high profile is another favorite trick of the new model's
suspension. One owner's suspension had a fault which kept it stuck in
high
profile from the day he received the car -- it took the dealer a month
to figure out the cure. Two other owners of 2004 models had the
"Air Suspension Inactive" message associated with the vehicle freezing
at or deciding to pump itself up to high profile without being
told. If you get this message be careful on getting out of the
vehicle in case you are at a higher height than expected! One owner reports "When we parked, she (the elderly
passenger) went to get
out of the car, and FELL, yes, FELL out of the Rover as it was jacked
up about 6 inches". One owner
reported the vehicle becoming very unsteady in turning or manoevering; this
could indicate riding at high profile or possibly even that the cross linking
mechanism on the air suspension is stuck open. She also reported it becoming
lopsided.

Faulty Brake Switch
One owner had a "no dsc no air suspension"
computer
dash display on her first day of ownership; the problem turned out to
be
a faulty brake switch. This is probably the same as the "Sinking to the
bumpstops" problem noted above.

Faulty Compressor Overheat
Sensor:
Joe Gormley reports Faulty sensor readings on
the suspension compressor which
show overheating. This disables the off road, motorway and low settings
on the
suspension but doesn’t affect normal driving much. This is the same
problem as outlined above under "Freezing at normal height".

Sticking Pressure Relief Valve
The pressure relief valve will often stick open in temperatures below
-20 degrees Celsius, preventing the system from reaching normal ride
height. Normal operation resumes when the vehicle warms up and thaws
the valve. Interestingly, Land Rover's solution for this is not to get
a better relief valve design, but to modify the ECU software to work
around the problem.

Noise
(Clunk) from Front Suspension:
Jimmy Fang reports "I get an
interesting sound coming from
the front end suspension when making turns at low speeds.
Sometimes it take
hitting a bump to trigger the noise but not always. It’s happens
mostly when slowing down to pull into a parking lot for instance.
It’s
been there since I’ve owned the vehicle but the dealership has never
been
able to fix it. They’ve heard it. They thought it was
something to do with the power steering but turns out my truck is not
in the VIN range for that problem so now they’re at a loss again.
It has not
affected the performance of the truck but after the differential
problem, I’m just waiting for something terrible to happen. Also,
oddly, the
sound
happens much more in wet weather than dry."

After
about 40,000 miles and a lot of
tightening of bolts, the dealer noticed some things weren’t wearing
properly. So they replaced the following: Lower Control Arm, Lower Strut
and Lower
Ball Joint. These replacements apparently fixed the problem.

Anir and Nathalie
Dhir
report
(September 2004) "Like
Jimmy Fang, we also have the intermittent
clunking noise from the front suspension. The dealership has fixed this
on several occasions by tightening up the sway bar bolts, but it always
comes back. We do use the car off-road about every 2-3 weeks
(mild use)."

Front/Rear Imbalance Earl Thiel
reports: "My '03 Range Rover from the beginning (I now have 43k mi) has
had a problem
with the EAS in that it will intermittently raise the front of the car
and not the rear. No idea why. Could be parked-I get in and
start and
it will pop up-leaving the rear down so the car appears to
"squat". At
the dealership now for the fourth time to try to get them to fix this
problem. Their latest idea is to replace all 4 height
sensors. Upon measuring,
the
front end has over 2 inches greater clearance than the rear when this
phenomenon occurs." This problem can be caused by excessive pressure in
the system leading to premature failure of
the rear air bags. A service campaign was undertaken (April 2003) to
address this by installing a pressure
relief valve (MAV500010K) between the compressor and the air
tank on vehicles 3A101029 to 3A106310. However, this valve in turn
could cause its own problems -- see above.

Rear Air Bellows Leaks
Cold weather can cause leaks in early build rear air bellows, causing
the vehicle to settle to
the bump stops when left at rest. This may also be one cause of the front/rear
imbalances noted above. Land Rover initiated a service campaign (January
2004) to rectify the affected vehicles (VIN 3A101029 to
4A156147) by replacing
the rear air springs with the later design and also update the ECU
software to get around the sticking pressure relief valve problem
mentioned above.

"Suspension Inactive" Message
This message is produced in conjunction with several of the faults
above.

Armrest Crumpled
It is fairly common for the driver's side door armrest to become
crumpled after a year or so of use; this happened on my 2004 model. It
was replaced by the dealer under warranty. For more information on this
see the L322 Interior
Trim Problems & Solutions page.

Battery Drained/Dead
Drain due to RF Interference
I have had two problem reports that are reminiscent of those on the P38 when the
battery seems to run down for no apparent reason, particularly in
parking garages where remote key transmissions from other vehicles may
occur. Jimmy Fang reports:
"I left the truck in
an airport parking garage for 2 weeks in very cold (below freezing for
some
days) weather and came back to find the battery drained. In
checking with
the dealer, I was told the electronics are so extensive on the car that
it
continually drains battery and that in a parking garage, each time
someone of
any car make hits a remote key, the truck “wakes up” and drains
more battery. They just seemed resigned to this being a problem
with the
vehicle citing previous models had similar issues. Major problem
with
this one being it does not like to be jumped and needs to be towed
simply for
the dealership to recharge the battery. This happened with about
5000
miles on the truck." Chris Gianniny
relates a similar experience:

" I left my '04 in
my garage for 2 week trip to the islands and returned to a dead
battery. The dealership said if I had locked the car with the
remote it would have gone to sleep and not drained the battery. However
your scenario of other remotes waking up the electronics is news to me.
They have an engineering fix requiring 2 relays to have to be spliced
and added into to the main wiring harness to disable the electronics
form waking up and draining the battery. This is an embarrassing
problem especially in a parking lot situation as you have had
happen. I am now concerned about other remotes possibly waking my
unit up....oh well sometimes the cure is worse than the problem".
Another variant of the battery drain problem was reported by Mark Smith: "Just went
flat for no apparent reason after being in garage for 2
days. When to dealer first time, but they found no problems, they
just
recharge the battery. When it happen a second time, they noticed
a
wire in the battery system had come lose, causing battery to drain
itself. They tightened and duct taped it up very well and since
then,
about 6 months of perfect battery!"

Drain Due to HEVAC System
Another possible
cause of mysterious battery drain on the new model is the HVAC system
-- there is an official 2003 technical service bulletin on "Range Rover
HVAC Quiescent Battery Drain". Mark
Johnson reports: "I had the battery drain problem. I believe the
dealer said it was a cooling or air circulation fan in the battery or
engine compartment area that was nor shutting off as it was supposed
to. It is supposed to cooler the area after the engine shuts off and
then shut down itself. Wasn't do the shutting down by itself part.
After a bit of digging the dealer found that it was a known occasional
problem that Rover was trying to find a remedy for." Mark Pablo reports that in
August 2004 "My dealer stated that this is a common problem with the
'04 when I complained about the battery dying twice. The said that
there was a software upgrade and a wiring harness change that they
made, took less than an hour, I have only 3800 miles." Chris Gianniny
confirms this information after talking to a L/R dealer
in October 2004 who told him there is a TSB162 out to install a relay
which will knock down the HVAC system from activating roughly every 20
minutes. "This has been a known case for battery drain over a couple of
days. The effect that when opening doors I hear HVAC motors running is
proper. It seems the relay kills any non-critical climate controls
systems when the vehicle has been locked. I am in the process of trying
to get a copy of the TSB and decide whether or not the cure is worse
than the problem. Sounds like it is just a plug and play relay into the
main wiring harness." Jeff Rualo reports the same problem --
after 3 days of no
use the car would not start. In fact, after 2 days of no use, the
battery would register a reading as low as 12 volts (when it
should be 12.5+) and the car had a hard time starting. He confirms Land
Rover issued a Service Action BD 162 v2 around
February 2004 in which they diagnosed as a quiescent battery
drain
brought about by a fault in a relay in the HEVAC system. In Jeff's case
the cure involved installing a relay and harness kit (YNI500040K) which
took
them about 3 hours to do.

Other Causes
Andrew Prete reports a dead battery after being overnight
in the garage at home. "I noticed that the gear selector indicator,
the section behind the shift level that shows "P - R - N- D -2 -1"
remains lit and the red light that shows that the car is in park, stays
lit. Also, the window lock button on the driver's door panel has
an orange light which lights up when the lock is engaged. This
light
is also staying on all night causing the battery to drain". Brake Switch

Australian owner Laurie Wadman
reports that on the first day of ownership of a new 3 litre Turbo
Diesel
HSE, the computer dash display came up with a message announcing "no
dsc
no air suspension". The dealer diagnosed the problem as a faulty brake
switch.

Climate Control Problems
Some owners have reported their air
conditioning will work perfectly for about 1/2 an hour and
then gradually the airflow will reduce so that the interior just gets
hotter and hotter. Manually increasing the fan speed has no effect. The
fan sounds as though it's working OK but there is
very little air coming out of any of the vents. If you stop the car,
turn
off the ignition, wait a couple of
minutes and start again then everything is OK. Dealers do not seem to
recognize the problem. Similar problems
have been reported on BMW 5 series vehicles that share the same system
(see this
link). Apparently in high humidity areas the control software turns off the
A/C prematurely to prevent ice forming on the evaporator. For BMWs a service
bulletin was issued on the subject and there is a software fix.
Some owners have also noticed that the air coming out of the righthand side is
slightly warmer than the lefthand side and changing the thermostats makes no
difference. After a while it seems to eventually balance itself out.

Low
Coolant Light On: Some
examples of the Mk III RR have been reported to exhibit strange
behaviour of the coolant level warnings. Bernard
Green experienced the problem of constant reminders that the
Coolant
Level and W/S/Washer water levels are LOW........his local dealer have
said that it is the same system as BMW and that does the same thing
"just
keep putting a pint or so in it and it will be OK".......He wonders why
they have bothered fitting such a large reservoir and how inconvenient
in the Kalahari Desert!!! Another owner reported that within the first
200 miles of service the
low coolant light went on. Jimmy
Fang the low coolant signal
shortly after the 15,000
mile service. He was in Charleston, and took it
to the dealership there and they topped off the fluids. Same
light came
home 2 days later on the trip home. Jimmy took it into the local
dealership and
they said the Charleston dealership must not have
topped it
off very well b/c they had to refill it. He now has 37,000 miles
onm the vehicle and has not had the problem
again since.

Paul Levens reports he had similar problems with the BMW 540i he had
previously, which seemed to have a very sensitive coolant level sensor
(most likely the same one used on the new RR?) which generated several
false "check coolant" warnings.

According to official Land Rover Technical Service Bulletins issued
in September 2003 and March 2005, the low coolant light coming on even
when the coolant level is correct if the coolant specific gravity or
viscosity is incorrect, causing false readings on the sensor. The
correct specific gravity of a 50% coolant mixture of the approved
coolants (see below) is 1.07.

Note also that earlier models had Texaco AFC coolant, LRN6024
(orange), while later ones come with BASF G48 coolant (blue). Note that
these should not be mixed -- or premature corrosion of the cylinder
heads could result.

Radiator
Leaks: Sometimes, the
problem is due to an actual radiator leak. Nicholas Tan
reports his RR had about 15,000 miles on it when
he
started experiencing recurrent "low coolant" warnings. The cause
turned out to be a leaking radiator, but the dealer found that the
coolant loss only occured between certain pressure limits, so it was a
slow loss over the period of about a week. In December
2005 Andrew Elmore reported his 2004 model had the check
coolant light coming on frequently, each time needing at least one
quart of coolant to top off the tank. "Even though it is winter here
the problem seems to be getting worse, that is, more frequent. I called
the dealer last week and the service manager said, "oh, that type of
coolant evaporates, so don't worry about it," but I do not think a
quart of coolant in a closed system can evaporate in the winter in less
than a week". Andrew persisted in posing the problem to the dealer, and
at last they replaced the radiator, which they said had a "small leak
at the seam." Alex Johnson had a leaking radiator twice on his 2003 RR,
the second time conveniently 13 months after the first so he had to pay
for the replacement.

Summary:
Thus it seems like in some cases there is a coolant sensor problem
leading to a false "Check Coolant Level" message; in other cases there
is a genuine leak in the radiator or elsewhere in the system -- usually
the coolant overflow tank (see
"radiator leaks and overflow tank leaks"
below). In yet other cases (the only ones officially
recognized by Land Rover) it is all your fault for putting in the wrong
coolant mixture! Condensation in Tail Lights
Another common problem is the appearance of massive amounts of
condensation in the rear tail light housings. A Technical Service
Bulletin 86/06/05/NAS was issued on July 25, 2005 covering this issue
for 2003-2005 models up to VIN ***5A186201. The preamble to the TSB
tries to convince us that condensation is normal, but it then goes on
to admit that water can enter the breather tube "under extreme
conditions" (this is Land Rover-speak for normal conditions). If water
is pooled in the lamp assembly, or the condensation on the lens does
not clear when the lamps have been on for 30 minutes, it is advised
that replacement lamp assemblies are called for, as follows:
XFB500360..............Lamp assembly RH rear NAS Qty 1
XFB500370..............Lamp assembly LH rear NAS Qty 1
The lamp assembly replacement procedure is rated at 0.3 hours of labor.

Door Seals Leaking
A number of owners have reported water getting in between the inner and outer seals on
the rear doors. For
example, one owner reports "After heavy rain when I open the rear doors
water will pour out where it has got trapped between the inner and
outer door seals. At the moment it does not leak inside." The dealer
tried to tell him this is normal, but it is not. One owner had his vehicle inspected by the factory
where the cause of the problem was identified as rear door misalignment
-- after correctly realigning them the problem was solved. In March
2006 Land Rover produced a Technical Service Bulletin on the problem as
follows:
Service Bulletin Num: 501012. Date of Bulletin: MAR 14, 2006
NHTSA Item Number: 10019760
Component: STRUCTURE:BODY
Summary: POSSIBLE CAUSES AND RESOLUTION OF WATER INGRESS - PASSENGER
COMPARTMENT.

Diesel Turbo-Intercooler
Hose

Diesel RRIII models are not immune from the occasional problem.
Australian
owner Laurie Wadman reports
that
her new Range Rover 3 litre Turbo Diesel HSE is a great vehicle, but
she
had to get it transported to the dealer at 2000km when the hose from
the
turbo to the intercooler fell off. The vehicle would not do more than
40
km/hour. Laurie was relieved she was not in the Simpson Desert when
this
happened! Those of us who have been stranded by our Range Rovers at one
time or another can identify with her trepidation!

Many owners of 2003-2005 Range Rovers (with the BMW-derived
drivetrain) have written in to report
failures of the front
differential, completely immobilizing the vehicle.
Note: If
it happens all you can do is try to get the vehicle safely to the side
of the road. If it happens on a hill, you have to use the handbrake to
hold the vehicle still once stopped -- shifting into "Park" won't do
it.

The information below was originally compiled when the diff failures
started being reported, and was an effort to assemble existing
knowledge on this
problem and how to solve it. Since there has now been a permanent solution
implemented by Land Rover, much of the information herein is of historical
interest only.

Several
readers have reported
it happening twice, the second time happening after Land Rover
implemented their latest "cure" for the problem in April 2004. It
is well-known that some past BMW vehicles have had problems with drive
shafts (propeller shafts or "prop
shafts" in Queen's English)
being misaligned causing spline wear and breakage in the differential.
Since
the new RR was designed by this manufacturer, it is possible that a
similar
issue is at work here. Indeed, in 2004 Land Rover issued a special jig
to dealers for aligning the front diff and supposedly eliminating the
problem. (It is not clear whether this did solve the problem -- see
later reports below). It might be a good idea for owners suspecting
this
problem to have the alignment of their drive shafts (prop shafts)
checked.

Early Reports: One reader
reported
in with the news that his front diff failed in September 2002 after
only 12,000 miles. Another
said his RR was immobilized for 2
weeks with no parts seemingly available. Jimmy Fang had the problem in 2003:
"I was left
completely stranded on
the highway with the nearest dealer about 90 miles away.
Incidentally,
Rover road side assistance, while very friendly, is not particularly
helpful
when outside the dealer network. Anyhow, the car started making a
lovely
grinding sound, went into transmission safe mode and then completely
died. I managed to get it to the side of the highway (which was a
good
thing) b/c nothing would engage. Even in park, I had to have the
hand
brake on to keep it from rolling. The dealership described the
problem
exactly as you have reported it. A misalignment causing spline
wear in
the differential. A replacement prop shaft and differential
later, the vehicle
has been
fine. This happened at 20,000 miles." by April 2004 Jimmy's
dealership alone had reported 6 or 7 other Range Rovers coming in with
the same problem
since his incident.

April 2004: Land
Rover initiates a service campaign to check and align the front diffs
of all 2003 and early 2004 Range Rovers when brought in for their next
service. Meanwhile the failures continued, an example being Huw
Morgan, who wrote in to say "I have just had the front diff and
propshaft on my November 2002 Vogue replaced. I noticed that another of
your contributors had the same
experience (a total loss of drive) so hope this isn't going to become
a familiar story. This work was done under warranty, but I am sure it
would have cost a packet and is a worrying possibility with the model
starting to appear second-hand without warranty."

May 2004: Clive
James reports the same problem: "I discovered a small oil leak a
couple of
weeks ago, and the
car was taken in to check it out. It was confirmed that the torque
converter seal
was leaking and needed to be replaced. So, in order to do so, they had
to remove
the front differential to get to the transmission. While doing so, they
discovered
the broken splines. My Land Rover Dealership in Flatirons, Colorado,
USA, is, and always
is, fantastic. They always supply me with a New Discovery loaner
vehicle while
in for service/repair, etc. They encountered the same problem, no
parts availability. It
took them at least two to three days to have Land Rover Warranty get a
part on
order, and another week to have the part delivered to the Dealership.
The front
differential (complete assembly) had to be shipped from Europe for this
repair. Once received, it was installed and delivered the same day." If
the torque converter seal had not gone the problem might not have been
detected until it got bad enough to fail completely.

June 2004:
Tim of Scotland reports that his
dealer has now had to fix 14 front Diffs, and
are getting
plenty of practice at it. "Just as well I only live 15 miles from the
dealer and have
another Land Rover I can use, also that I have 5 years VIP
cover.........
££££££££££££
saved!"

July 2004: Andy Cunningham
reports that Land Rover has now issued a special jig for
aligning the
front diff to try and prevent recurrences.

September
2004: Anir and Nathalie
Dhir report "We've now had it changed under
warranty by the dealer twice - once at 17,300 miles (left
us stranded
on the highway) and most recently at 26,300 miles. For the first
fix, they took a front differential from another actual car on the lot,
so we might have received a pre-recall defective unit. The second
time, it was checked and an impending failure caught secondary to the
factory recall."

January
2005: In theory the April 2004 service campaign should have
caught pretty well all the problems by now, but it seems like the
problem has still not been
licked. An owner just wrote in to say his front diff has now failed for
the SECOND time!!! This was
less than a year after the first incident. The only indication of the
problem was a small clunk when moving off from a parked position. The
dealer this time said they did a "modification" to it (presumably
referring to the alignment and end shaft drilling specified in the
service campaign).

Update
April 2005: Andy
Parsons reports his SECOND
front diff bites the dust, indicating that Land Rover have still not
mastered this problem yet. His first one failed at about 30K miles. It
was replaced with a supposedly modified and improved version, but he
just recently noticed the tell-tale clunk again and had the second diff
replaced at 62K miles. Andy suggests that maybe they should make the
front diff a service item due for routine replacement every 30K miles!!

December 2005: Mahoub reports front
diff failure on his 2005 Range Rover (24K
miles) while 250 miles from home in a dangerous stretch of
road in Scranton, Pa. The tow truck driver said that a stranded car was
hit on that stretch
of road 2 times last month.....really really dangerous spot. The dealer
was surprised to see it in a 2005....

July 2006: Steve Gardiner of the UK
reports that his td6 lost drive
in the middle of Germany. As the car is 52 plate the warranty was out,
but when you think these cars cost over £56,000 you would hope to
do more then 50,000 miles before you transmission gives up. After making some calls he found this is a very common
problem -- the splines on the front drive shaft strip and does damage
to front diff. Interestingly Steve found the parts costs are
as follows:
1/ Propshaft £435 now
reduced to £65.
2/
Differential £500 reduced to £162.
He reports that these
prices have been reduced so the bills at the main agents do not cause
people to complain to Land Rover.

Aftermarket
Permanent Cure, November 2006: a permanent cure became
available -- not from Land
Rover but from a custom driveline shop in California.
Drive Line Service of San Leandro has come up with a replacement front
drive shaft with a U joint at both ends, curing the factory design flaw
that does not allow the shaft to flex at the front and destroys the
splines. Scott Colison, the designer, is making his complete custom
replacement front driveshaft kit available to RangeRovers.net readers
for $700, with a 3 year warranty. For full details see the
RR III Custom Front
Driveshaft Replacement Page.

February
2007: Reports continue to come in. For example, Dennis reported
his third failure (fourth diff
for the vehicle) on his 2003 model. As in other recent reports, Land
Rover is no longer offering to pay. Another owner recently recounted his all-too familiar experience at 66,000 miles: "Neither
the dealership nor Land Rover North America would
provide any out of warranty assistance or "goodwill" knowing
that this is a common problem for 2003 RR's. I am amazed that Land Rover is WELL
AWARE of this quality and safety problem, but it refuses to cover the
costs
of replacement." His
resulting cost was $2,700. Meanwhile, another owner wrote in about a
later model (which we thought was immune to this issue): "We
have an 06 Range Rover Sport that had front diff failure. At 65mph with
no warning signs the front tires locked up putting the vehicle into an
uncontrollable skid. We were almost rear ended twice and had a difficult
time getting the vehicle off the highway. This incident almost caused
us a real serious accident. The dealer replaced with identical parts.
We reported this to the NHTSA."

March 2007: A
dealer source unofficially informs us that "The 2004 models have
started coming in droves for this. I think we got
three in one week!" This makes sense as most 2004's are now
reaching 30-40K miles. Also in March we received word that the NHTSA is
finally starting a review of the problem based on the reports it
has
received (see below -- if you have not
reported yours, you should do so).

July 2007: Reports
continue to flow in unabated. One owner had the front diff fail on a
test drive during dealer service. Another, David Ballard, had to pay
$2,300 for front diff replacement on his 2003 HSE. It was checked in
May 2004 (22K miles) for a grinding
noise in the front diff - splines were lubed and he was sent
away.
In November 2004 it was inspected again due to the service bulletin. In
July 2007 during a routine service he was told the "front differential
and
drive shaft are ready to shear", even though nothing was noted during
the previous service 6,000 miles ago (while still under warranty).

August 2007: A UK
owner, Norman, reports on his second diff failure: "Mine failed at 67K;
Feb 2002 registration (UK). I didn't know anything about this until it
happened and I found this site...and my LR dealer then claimed
ignorance!
The dealer was useless: having read up on this, I knew the score: I
asked the dealer to approach LR for a goodwill coverage of the cost -
£1300. They could offer £237.24 – expecting me to pay
over £1000. So I approached LR direct*. Do your homework,
be polite but be firm. Call them on the phone. They opened
a file and got back to me with some questions. After less than 24
hrs, I had my result. NOTE: get them to dig out the full service
record. They could see that it had been part of the 2004 service
bulletin, and indeed the diff was faulty then and had been replaced at
approx 28K miles. Since it failed again after less than 40K
miles, they agreed to cover the full cost as a goodwill gesture – while
still denying it is a repeating fault."

November 2007:
Increasing numbers of 2004 and 2005 models are now showing up with the
front diff failure, proving that the earlier fixes did not work. An
owner from Reading, UK reports: "We
have a Dec 05 Range Rover HSE 3 litre diesel which broke down yesterday
on the M4 with failed front diff. The car is with Lancaster Land
Rover Reading for repair... I am frankly appalled that there has not
been a recall." A 2005 Overfinch Range Rover owner also wrote in
recently reporting his first diff failure. Another owner reports having
now experienced 4 diff failures on his 2003 model. Gerald
from North Carolina
recently purchased a 2003 on which LRNA acknowledged all scheduled
service had been done, but immediately experienced a diff failure at
47,000 miles, and was quoted $2800 for the repairs. He opened a case
number with Land Rover USA and hopes
to get help paying for it. As he points out, "These
are very expensive vehicles. You'd think they wouldn't have these
problems this early in their life."

December 2007: A UK
owner reports that the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency
(VOSA) has recently completed an investigationto establish whether or not
the defect was attributable to a design or construction deficiency,
which was liable to cause a significant risk of personal injury or
death. Their finding was "inconclusive" as to whether or not such a
deficiency exists, but they are now exploring, with Land Rover, whether
the performance of this part of the transmission can be improved and
expect this exercise to be completed in mid - 2008. Meanwhile, our
reporter in the UK encourages any UK owners who have the problem to
continue to report it to VOSA (see contact information below) -
the more who report it, the greater the chance of remedial action.

January 2007: An
Australian owner reports that the Department
of Transport and Regional Services (DOTaRS) is now conducting a
preliminary inquiry into the front diff failure problem.

February 2007: An
Australian owner receives a letter from the Dept of Transport stating
that Land Rover is planning a service campaign to replace the front
diff and drive shaft assembly in 2 or 3 months time. Could this be what
we are all waiting for?

Official
Recall, May 2008: Finally in 2008, a permanent official solution
to the notorious front
diff failure problem was implemented
by Land Rover in a worldwide
recall campaign. After many customer
complaint incidents, service bulletins and investigations by the
vehicle safety agencies of various governments, a redesign of the front
driveshaft was offered to solve the problem. Full details of the
official solution and the recall campaign appear on the Front Diff Recall Page.

Filing
Failure Reports: Since failure of
the
front diff can be a safety issue, it is important to file reports with
the appropriate agency in your country if this happens to you. If you
live in the US and have had this failure,
you should file a
report with the NHTSA to help get the ball rolling towards a recall
campaign to retrofit all 2003-2005 Range Rovers with a more permanent
solution such as a redesigned front driveshaft from the factory. In the UK, you can file
a report with:
Vehicle Safety Branch, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, Berkeley
House, Croydon Street, Bristol, BS5 ODA.
Tel: 0117-9543300 http://www.vosa.gov.uk.

Drivetrain Vibration
Brian in
New Zealand
reports feeling bad vibration in the
drivetrain. Land Rover agreed it is a recognized
problem with the drivetrain, not only in the Diesels but in the V8s as
well. The problem seems to be worse when the suspension is in low
(access level) but Brian
reports that his groans quite a bit at normal levels. The local agent
has advised Brian that new improved
drive train parts (axles etc) have been developed to fix this problem
and have been ordered from Land Rover. This may be a separate problem
from the steering wheel vibration reported
below. Richard, whose
previous vehicle was a GMC Yukon Denali, noticed
that on switching to a 2004 Range Rover, "at take off from a stop
light, the
motor/transmission is not as smooth as I would have suspected from a
RR. My previous car was a 2001 Yukon Denali. In the RR, I notice a
slight vibration in the gas pedal when
the car takes off from a stop, or when the car is “under load”. Feels
like a roughness to the right of the gas pedal as
well, probably a drive line or transmission thing. It doesn’t sound
like
something is wrong, but I’m not sure what to expect from a RR. I just
know that I didn’t have the
same “roughness” under load in the Denali".

Update 12/8/03:
Brian reports that Land Rover have fixed the vibration in
transmission of RR Mk 3. "It took them 1 year but (touch wood) it has
now been 4 weeks with no problem. They replaced axles / drive shafts
with re-designed units from LR Factory. I now love the vehicle most
sincerely
and am glad I don't have to go look at Porches, VWs, and Audi's etc."

Update 12/05: Colin Lewis of Sutton
Coldfield reports (December 2005): "The
vibration felt at low speeds is most defiantly the drive shafts that
need replacing. Range Rover issued a bulletin in May 2005. My
driveshatfs were replaced and now there is no more vibration."

Like the Classic and the 4.0/4.6, the new model appears to be
subject
to the occasional inexplicable attack of electrical gremlins. One owner
wrote in with a report that 5 times over the previous month, when
driving
at
highway speed, for no apparent reason the emergency flashers turned on,
the
door locks went up and the interior lights went on. He could turn
off
the
flashers but the interior lights stayed on and the dashboard switch to
lock
the doors would not work. Each time this happened he parked the
car,
turned off the ignition and locked the car with the remote.
Sometimes
the car would not lock but usually did after a second attempt.
After
a restart, the car drove normally. One dealer agent said that
he's
heard of this problem and that it could be fixed by "flashing the
computer".
However after leaving the car at the dealer for 2 days they weren't
able
to duplicate the problem. A second agent said there was a problem with
the VCM (Vehicle Control Module) and encouraged the owner to wait for a
fix from England. After a few more trips to the dealer it emerged that
the problem was definitely a faulty Vehicle Control Module, but it was
not possible to get a new one from England for several weeks.

Headlight Alignment

The RR III has a motor-driven mechanism that changes headlight
alignment according to vehicle height and trim. headlight leveling ECU.
On 2003 models up to VIN 3A117631 the ECU software was faulty and
caused strange headlight movements. For example, Philippe Geerts of Belgium
got his new Range Rover in May 2002. He had a problem with the
adjustment
of the xenon lights; when he switched them on, the left light aimed too
high. A simple adjustment by the dealer fixed it. Joe Gormley first reported the
software fix for this problem, which he said became available in Nov
2002. Simon Davies
of Surrey
also experienced dipped headlamp alignment
problems, particularly the L/H unit. Richard
Siegler reports the same problem on his 2004, even after the dealer
attributed it to a computer problem and allegedly adjusted them. The
latest service bulletin on this issue (SB104, June 11 2004) attributes
it to calibration problems, with symptoms including the headlamps
performing "reference" movements to different positions at turn-on, or
perform slow movements out of alignment. It specifies the full
calibration procedure which has to be carried out using the Testbook/T4
or equivalent. This was adopted as a service campaign on the affected
vehicles.

Idle Speed Too Fast
Several owners have reported idle speed problems, particularly after having an
engine ECU software upgrade related to an electronic thermostat problem on the
BMW-derived 4.4 engine. change. Upon startup the engine idles very fast for a
minute or two before settling down. In some cases the final idle speed is also
too high (about 900 rpm instead of 600). This sounds like a software problem as
the base idle speed and related adaptive settings are all done in software in
the ECU.

Richard Stankl reports his 2004 model idles too fast (just
below
1,000 rpm) ONLY when it is snowing!. Also in these same
conditions my windshield
wipers alternate slow and fast, EVEN if it is on the fastest setting. All ofthese things only happen when it is
cold and snowing, and it seems that they happen concurrently.

Mirrors, Exterior
The exterior mirrors on early build RR III's seemed to be a weak point.
One that I was looking at in a used car lot had the passenger side
mirror loose and free to hinge in all directions. Curt Anderson
reports
"The mirror fold in option on my Rover ceased to work after about 1.5
months. It has yet to be repaired as apparently the model and version
of the mirrors for my vehicle are not available as a replacement part
as of yet! They tried putting on mirrors for a 05 and they are just
significantly different that the option to fold in the mirrors does not
work. Now they will fix it but it has been over 6 months now (July
2005) and the replacement mirrors have not arrived!"

Robert Dashwood
feels that the external rear view mirrors are hopelessly small. He
finds the vehicle great otherwise, but feels that putting mirrors from
a BMW X5 on something rather larger hasn't helped. He has had to use
add-ons which look ghastly.

Navigation System Quirks

The off-road enhanced navigation system supplied with the 2003-2004
models seems to be a notorious trouble spot, with one owner reporting
it
failing
within the first two minutes of ownership. The system is basically the
same as the BMW Mk III nav computer. A number of owners and journalists
have
complained of its
ergonomic design, while many have experienced specific operational
problems,
described below.

Ergonomic Shortcomings: A number of owners have written in to
report that the nav system is an "ergonomic disaster". As one example, Don Anderson would
appreciate
finding out how to switch from radio back to navigation without having
to go through the entire navigation menus again!!?? Tyler
Berding reports that the solution for this is to use the right side
of the “Mode” button. This will accomplish the switch without going
through
the whole system. However, he agrees that the navigation system is
ergonomically
challenged, and is hoping Land Rover will be able to release new
software
for it soon, as the hardware is probably all right, but the software is
completely wrong. It would take a new CD with upgraded software that
allows
more intuitive use of the computer controls. Another owner reports that
the program lacks a simple zip code lookup, even though zip codes are
available
on the CDs, and other owners confirm the computer program is a pain to
use.Update 2005-7: The new
touch screen system introduced in 2005 addressed all these problems,
but is not an available upgrade for earlier models due to its totally
different wiring using fiber optics. However, the original system
fitted in the 2003-2004 models can be upgraded to the BMW Mk IV
computer, an easy swap which also enables a number of other upgrades to
be made to the entertainment and information systems (MP3 player,
Bluetooth, back-up cameras, TV display, etc). See the Nav Computer Upgrade page.

Inaccurate Readings: Tyler also reports that the GPS
sometimes
does not locate his vehicle with enough precision to accommodate the
maps.
The result is that it shows a block away from where the vehicle
actually
is. Michael Williams
reports that his GPS always (since he got the vehicle in 2002) placed
him about a half
mile away from where he actually was, and it took the dealer 3 attempts
to cure the problem (it was finally fixed in April 2004). Another owner
reports the 2001-2CD batch supplied with his 2003 car
is missing entire cities like West Los Angeles and is from blocks to a
mile plus off on addresses on such roads as Santa Monica Blvd (which
has
not changed the block numbering for decades). Land Rover simply tells
him
it is a NavTech issue, and NavTech says he has to buy a new CD if he
wants
this accurate. Michael Katz
reports that the "True North" indicated on his nav system is actually
nowhere
close to North and therefore the navigation directions are never
correct. Joseph Romanello reports
"
My navigation only
functions correctly about 25% of the time.Of
course, the local Land Rover dealer said they could find no problems
when they hooked it up to their diagnostic computer.NavTech (who makes the CDs) claims it is not a software problem.Anyway, it rarely seems to connect to
the satellite, as evidenced by the incorrect time being displayed.When
I program my current location, it usually has me facing the wrong
direction ( a gyroscope problem?) and therefore fails to direct me
properly.Hopefully someone who views your
website will have a suggestion.Thanks."

Volume Settings: The Navigation system has 24 volume
settings,
and one owner reports indicate that none of them are loud enough to be
heard at highway speeds. At the highest setting (+12), it is even
difficult to hear the instructions while driving at back road
speeds.
If the radio is on, it is even more difficult to hear. When he went to
make a service appointment, he was told that what he was describing was
a common complaint and one for which there is no fix. Steve Gurney
reports
that the system is exactly the same in function and use as the top end
BMW system fitted to 545's and M5's. The only addition is the Off-Road
Navigation feature developed by LR and Nav-Tech (x Philips
Cariin).
He reports that the complete system can be reset by removing 30 Amp
fuse
no. 49 for ten seconds.

Another owner reports his local dealer had received a service
bulletin on
this problem, with a correction procedure as follows: Under settings,
turn
the nav volume to + 12. The dealer diagnostic computer then must adjust
the minutes setting to +8; this can only be done with the dealer
diagnostic
computer. PROBLEM SOLVED. It is almost too loud now!!!!

Yet another owner reports that the volume is too loud and cannot be
turned off while navigating.

Static Crackle: Another Nav System quirk reported by Don
Anderson is static crackle when the word "AHEAD" is spoken. Michael Williams
also had this exact problem in 2002, and reports that his dealer did manage to
fix it but the repair also changed the voice of the GPS.

Display Disappears on Cold Mornings: Simon Davies , Hilary Basely
and others have reported the Sat
Nav display (2003/2004 models) often disappears on cold mornings.
Hilary's local dealer in Switzerland had 10 to 15 RRs with this
problem. In November 2003 and April 2004 Land Rover issued Technical
Service Bulletins
acknowledging this can happen on all Range Rovers (4.0/4.6 and
MkIII/LM) up to VIN 4A153286 (mid to late 2004 model year). The
solution is a software update using the latest navigation CD (which as of April 2004
was LRL0568
Edition 3). As far as I know these update CDs are not available to
owners but the dealer should have them available. The process only
takes a few minutes.

No Map Updates Available:
Several owners have reported inquiring about updates to the 2002 Navtech
CD-based maps used in the 2003-2004 system. Unfortunately neither Land Rover nor
Navtech has any plans for updates.

Upgrade to BMW Mk IV Nav
System: All the above problems can be eliminated by upgrading
the 2002-2004 Range Rover's BMW Mk III nav computer to the DVD-based Mk
IV computer. Fortunately, this is a simple plug-and-play swap. I have
heard from several owners who have tried this upgrade and all are
delighted with the results, which include updated DVD-based maps with
one disk for the entire US (or Europe), moving map display, faster
response, improved graphics including 3-D display option. The upgraded
computer also has provision for adding other options such as TV/DVD
display on the nav screen, Bluetooth integration, upgraded CD player
with MP3 capability, backup camera, etc. For more details see the nav computer upgrade page.

Oil Filter Leaks and Broken Mounts:
It is not unheard of for nearly all the oil to leak out of the
engine due to failure of the O-ring seal on the oil filter housing.
This happened to me recently when I noticed oil literally pouring out
of the bottom of the engine area on to the ground. A quick
investigation under the hood revealed the source to be a major leak
around the top of the oil filter housing. the cause turned out to be
failure of the O ring seal around the lid of the housing. A common
related problem is failure of the oil filter housing mounts. For more
details and pictures, see the Oil Filter Problems and Solutions page.

Radiator Leak / Overflow Tank Leak
Ross Abaya reported in with
a leaking radiator, with less than
19,000 miles on the vehicle. Curt Anderson reported
the same problem when his RR was 2 months old --the dealer had to
replace the coolant overflow tank (also called the coolant expansion
tank) "and it was fixed but what a pain!" This radiator overflow tank
seems to be a weak spot and I have since heard of a number of owners
who have had it leaking. Sometimes it develops a hairline crack. If you see a pool of coolant near the front on
the right side, chances are that is what happened. On the good
side, a replacement only costs $40 (see the RR III parts sources page), and is
easy to install.

Just
snap on hoses, add coolant, done.
I even heard of a dealer who advised carrying a spare overflow tank in
the cubby box in the trunk, just in case. The bad news is that these engines need special coolant, as specified in
the owners manual, and it is extremely
expensive -- I paid $50 for a gallon of it once, and I have heard of
others paying $70.
Cooling system leaks seem to be continuing with the 2006 models using
the Jaguar-derived engine. For example, Husni Gama reports (regarding
his brand new 2006 model, produced March 2005): "My
radiator started leaking at 10,000 miles. They changed the reservoir
and
sensor and a hose under the engine cover. At 15,000 it leaked
again,
they changed the reservoir and sensor. At 18,000 it leaked again, they
changed reservoir and sensor. At 19,000 it leaked again, changed
reservoir
and sensor. At 19,500 it is still leaking. I don't know if its the car
or Land Rover has no clue how to fix coolant leaks".

Problem: Several owners have reported radio problems. Don
Anderson reports that his radio rests to "no station" (87.7) and
gets
just static when left for more than a few minutes. Laurie
Wadman reports the same symptom happening sometimes when she first
turns on the radio. Tyler
Berding
reports the same problem when he starts the car -- but in his case it
also
happens in AM mode, in which case the radio resets itself to 530, no
station.

Solution: I am reliably informed (May 2003) that this
problem can now be rectified by the dealer using TestBook, and changing
the customer personalization "radio preset to key" option.

Other Sound System Problems

One owner reports
that his speakers have gone out twice, and produce crackle with the radio. His
CD player also went out. After replacing the CD player, amplifier and
radio/computer, he is still experiencing some problems.

Rattle Under Vehicle
One owner reported a rattle noise under the
vehicle before the
motor really warms up. It turned out to be a broken catalytic
converter (the honeycomb material inside had broken apart). Thankfully,
the dealer replaced under warranty, (a $900.00 job).

Rattle
From Front Suspension Off RoadThe first time I took my 2004 model off road I detected a
heavy rattle/clonk coming from somewhere in the front suspension
whenever I would go over a rock or bump. It was worse when the
suspension was set at off road height. After getting home I put the
front of the vehicle up on ramps so I could get underneath and apply
force to various components to see what was amiss. There is a TSB about
this type of noise being caused by a loose anti-sway bar. Mine was
tightened without result. I later noticed the left hand axle
CV joint at the inboard (diff) end was very loose and could easily be
moved laterally by hand. The right hand one was loose, but less
so. After replacement of these parts (sometimes
called front driveshafts) by the dealer, the steering and ride felt
tighter
and more secure, but the problem was still there. Since then various
other front suspension parts have been replaced including the steering
rack, lower ball joint, and an entire strut on one side. None of these
fixes cured the problem.

I have recently heard form another 2004 model owner with the same
problem. Like me, he found it hard to demonstrate to the dealer because
it only happens on rough roads.

Rattle
From Rear on Rough Roads
HB reports: "I've recently noticed this noise
from the rear
of the car when I go over rough patch of road. Can't quite put my
finger on it. It seems like there is something lose under the car which
makes a
creaking or clocking noise." A Land Rover tech tells us that this problem is caused by the rear control arm
bushings, and there has been a run on them. He advised us that to
identify the problem, you should have someone jump on the rear bumper
and get the truck bouncing. You can isolate the noise from there.

Satellite Radio Malfunction
(2006 models)
One of the additions in the 2006 model year
update was the Sirius satellite radio system. Several owners have
reported malfunctions where the display fails to show the correct channel when
you turn it on. One owner reports: "Every time I start the car and turn on
Sirius, the display will show channel 184, the weather channel, but the audio
will be playing the last station that was on". Another owner reports his display
shows channel 203 when he turns it on, even though the audio (correctly)
continues from the station last set. As of September 2006, owners were
still hoping for a software upgrade that would fix the problem.

Seat
Bottom SqueakPeter Zavaletta reports that his "otherwise bulletproof and flawless" '04
Rangie has developed a squeak in the seat bottom cushion whenever the car takes
a sharp turn or otherwise there's a shift of weight on the seat. He can
duplicate the noise when at a stop pressing down on the corners of the seat
bottom. Seems something needs to be lubricated. I have heard of this problem
from other owners also -- for example in May 2007 Todd Koch reported the same
problem in his 2003 with the luxury seat option -- he said there is no fix found
for it yet.

Seat Control Panel Side Cover
Jason Braun points out that one common issue which he has noticed on nearly
every single model with 40k miles or so is that the seat control panel cover is
too close to the seat itself and easily wears - especially when heavier
passengers cause the seat to depress below the plastic itself (in some cases
then it will break the plastic)...not cool when you open your door and the
plastic seat finisher is dangling by a cheesy plastic clip...kind of takes away
from the luxury factor and always gives Land Rover naysayers (Chevy Tahoe
drivers) a good laugh. I had this problem on my own 2004 model as it approached
30,000 miles -- initially the panel was loose from drivers getting in and out of
the vehicle, then the rear attachment came off altogether, and the dealer
tightened it. This cure only lasted for a short while, however, and soon the
plastic around the attachment screw was broken away and the entire panel had to
be replaced. I do not know of any permanent cure to this problem yet, as
the mere act of getting in and out of the car deforms the seat cushion enough to
put pressure on the side panel cover.

Squeaking/Squealing Noise under
Acceleration

Ross Abaya reports that
his
'03 Range Rover with 19,000 miles has a squeaking noise at
times...typically after the car has been driven for sometime. The sound
is similar to that of a scraping against the rotors...odd thing is that
it only happens upon acceleration.... Mike Griffiths reports
that his 4.4 V8 had the same problem which was solved as follows:"All
were supposed to be recalled for a propshaft modification whichinvolved drilling a hole in the
propshaft itself to prevent pressurebuild
up chasing all the lubricant to one end. For some reason, minemissed this and started squealing
badly. My dealer removed thepropshaft,
drilled it and regreased and refitted it. The problem hasnot reoccurred".

Starting Problems
Joe Gormley reports
that on the diesel TD6 models, low fuel pressure problems can cause difficulty
starting
the engine as the system is common rail diesel. Andy Parsons confirms that he
too experienced this problem, particularly after the engine had already been
running. The problem turned out to be the secondary fuel pump. This is located
under a plate on the left hand side of the vehicle just in front of the axle.
Apparently the original supplier of these pumps has now been changed due to
these failures, and the new part seems to solve the problem. An owner in Jamaica
recently (February 2005) related the same problem and solution.

Problem 1 (Tilt Mechanism):
A very common problem is
the adjustable
steering column sticking, especially in the highest position. A LR technical services supervisor
told me (April 2004)
they have encountered many cases of
this problem.
For example, Don
Anderson reported his sticks in the up/down mode, and he has heard
of
several others with this problem. The telescoping however
works fine. Don had
noticed
this on a demo at the dealership, and on his RR it only surfaced after
about 3 months of use. He heard that LR was
working
on a fix. Shawn Noel reported
March 2004 that he had experienced this problem
intermittently ever since about 6 months after purchase in July 2002. Soren Svenningsen purchased a
new RR in December 2002, and after 2 months had steering
column tilt failure. Land Rover replaced a burnt out motor under
warranty, and it has worked fine since. In April 2003, Harold Sogard
had this problem on his brand new Range Rover,
but the dealer immediately fixed it. In April 2005, another owner
reported "The steering wheel
suddenly fell down on my thighs whilst driving. Now the steering wheel
won't move. The only way of getting out was move the seat back until I
could free my legs."

Problem 2
(Telescoping Mechanism): Ross Abaya
reported (March 2004) that the steering wheel telescopic feature froze
up on his '03 model with 19,000 miles. Another reader reported (June
2004) having both vertical and telescoping movement frozen on his
RR at 36,000 miles, and after the dealer "fixed" it there was an inch
of free play in the telescoping direction! On my 2004 model, the
telescoping mechanism stuck in the retracted position and had to be
replaced.

Solutions: There are now official solutions to these
problems. The tilt mechanism
is like a seat adjustment motor and operates via a screw style shaft
and nut. The nut on the
spindle shaft
tightens
up excessively as the column reaches its end of travel and if the
driver does
not release the adjustment switch immediately, it tends to lock the
spindle and
no further movement in the opposite direction is possible. The problem can be
temporarily fixed by adjusting the tension or introducing a second nut
after the original nut and lock
the two together, reducing the tendency of the two interlocked nuts to
rotate any further. The more permanent
solution specified in a service bulletin (April 2003) is to install a new
specification steering coloumn tilt motor kit (Part number QME500070). However, I have heard of the
occasional case where failure recurs even
after replacement of the tilt motor. Andrew Prete's failed again in
April 2006 after being replaced in March 2005, and the dealer refused
to pay for the second repair.
Jamming of the telescoping
mechanism is officially addressed in an April 2005 service
bulletin. Occasional jamming is
addressed simply by lubrication, but if
operation is noisy the telescoping motor (reach motor) has to be
replaced.

2006
Recall: In mid 2006, a recall was issued to deal with the
steering column problems, affecting all Mk III Range Rovers through
2006. A totally new steering column mechanism was specified (different
part numbers for 2003-2005 and 2006 models). Having been fixed
previously, mine was working fine at the time but the recall work was
done as specified. When I got the car back, the steering column tilt
mechanism was so loose that you could freely move it up and down by
hand when in the extended position. Fellow owner Andrew Prete found
that after having the recall work done, his steering column lasted 6
days before the tilt mechanism became stuck again. Evidently Land Rover
still has some work to do on this one.

For the first year of production, owners have been writing in about
mysterious vibrations felt in the steering. After many owner reports,
it appears that the problems are mainly from two separate causes. At
least
one owner has experienced both. These vibrations have been the subject
of a whole series of technical service bulletins from Land Rover as
they try to figure out the causes and cures.

1. Vibration at Highway
SpeedsProblem:
Various owners have reported steering wheel vibration anywhere from
50mph (80kph) to 100 mph (160 kph). It was initially thought the
problem may originate from the Goodyear Wrangler 255/55R19 tire that is
standard equipment. Land Rover initially recommended a force thrust
balance
on a Hunter 9700 machine to determine the problem. This is apparently
the
only machine capable of doing a proper balancing job on this wheel and
tire combination. However for any warranty claims from Goodyear you
must
apparently go to a Goodyear company owned store -- although stores with
equipment to balance a 19 " wheel are scarce in some areas. However, it
is doubtful whether this was really the root of the problem, which is
still being experienced by some owners of models as late as 2005,
suggesting there is a flaw in the steering gear design. For more information, see the page on Official Tire
Balancing Procedure for the RR III.

Solution:
3/22/03: One owner reported the problem finally identified and
solved on his vehicle, after 7200 miles and 6 attempts at balancing the
tires, including replacement of the front ones. It emerged that
the problem has nothing to do with the tires -- it is caused by a valve
in the steering rack that controls the amount of fluid to the variable
speed steering. Owners with the vibration problem reported that if you
accelerated slowly from a dead stop, the vibration did not occur. If
you
floored it, vibration every time. It appears that the valve could not
keep
up with a rapid change and malfunctioned (55 mph is where it is
programmed
to make a major adjustment in steering tension). The defective steering
would then shake the car out of balance explaining why it would drive
well
for about a week after balancing, then vibrate again. The fix was a
replacement
part for the defective valve in the steering box.

January 2006: Unfortunately,
as far as I know this cure has still not been officially adopted -- no
Technical Service Bulletin was ever issued incorporating this fix. The
last relevant one I know of (February 2004) addresses the problem by
more tire rebalancing, which many owners have found does not work. The
TSB specifies a very tedious (if not ludicrous) process. Step 1 is
"match mounting" of the tire to the wheel so the low point of the tire
is matched to the high point of the wheel. (The Hunter 9700/9712
balancing machine
can perform this procedure). Then, a 15 mile drive is specified to heat
up the tires to operating temperature and eliminate any flat spots.
Next, road force balancing has to be performed on the specified Hunter
machine, using a specific type of centering sleeve. Only Land
Rover-specified two-piece rim weights are supposed to be used. Finally,
the tires (if non-directional) have to be re-mounted in order of
increasing Radial Force Variation on the front left, front right, rear
left and rear right hubs. To me, the fact that such an excessively
tedious balancing procedure needs to be used (try getting your local
tire shop to do it!!) indicates an underlying design flaw somewhere in
the vehicle's running gear that makes it sensitive to extremely small
amounts of imbalance. For more information, see
the page on Official
Tire Balancing Procedure for the RR III.

Other updates:
4/5/03: Philippe Geerts
of Belgium felt vibration in the steering wheel, starting at 100 km/h
(62
mph) and stopping at about 160 km/h (100 mph). At low speed there were
no vibrations. The garage balanced the wheels again and everything was
ok for a few weeks. But then it started all over again. Thanks to the
information
posted above about the valve, he planned to have it replaced. Filip
Mottie of Belgium had the same problem on his 3.0 TD Vogue, but
reported
that Land Rover Belgium said they had no solution as yet (4/8/03).
6/5/03: Another reader reports experiencing the steering wheel
vibration beginning at approximately 50 mph on his '03, with the
original
19" wheels as well as the 22" Momo/Pirelli replacements. Keep
an eye out to see if there is a recall related to this issue!
7/4/03: Another reader confirms that Land Rover now has a fix
for the problem with a replacement part.
10/23/03: An owner in New
Zealand reports a vibration in the drivetrain -- this may be a separate
problem (see drivetrain
vibration section
above).
10/30/03: Mark Scheberies has a
2004 model
and reports a different cause for the vibration in his steering: "At
highway speeds there was a
distinct vibration in the steering wheel. It felt like an
out of balance
tire. With less than 500 miles on the car, I took it back to the
dealer. It was discovered that one of the bearings in the left front
hub would not seat properly, and that one of the bolts that holds the
hub on
the car had already broken. The dealer replaced the left front
hub assembly". A month later the fix still seemed to be working.
12/2/03: Ralph, a potential buyer,
reports: "I was about to purchase a 2004 Range Rover
when I learned that there is
a vibration problem in the wheels at 50 mph that Rover knows about, but
can't fix....The
dealer says there hasn't been a recall because they don't know how to
fix the vibration."
12/8/03: I was informed by a
Land Rover dealer tech that the "official" cause of this steering wheel
shimmy at highway speeds is improper
road force balance of the wheels/tires. The resolution is to
re-road force
all 4 wheels. There is a bulletin from LRNA and it was sent to all
dealers in the US.
5/20/04: Jimmy Fang reports his vibration
problems
(in both the body and the steering) on his
40,000-mile-worn-but-still-good-tread Goodyear tires were solved when
the tires were replaced at the dealer's suggestion, after they swapped
the wheels and tires out for a test. The Michelin replacements were not
available so he opted for Pirelli Scorpions, and has had no further
problem so far. After all the problems owners have reported while using
the OEM Goodyears, it will be interesting to see if replacement with
another brand leads to a long term solution.
10/15/05: Another owner was
told that since the tires on new rovers in the USA have been changed
from Good Year, there are no more vibration problems. He heard there
was a class action lawsuit being prepared against Goodyear for those
tires. However based on other owners' experiences it appears highly
dubious that this was the real or only cause.
2/12/05: Ross Greenberg
reports the same problem on his new 2005 RR -- "55mph steering wheel
shake to stop. I too had the problem of excessive shake from 55 - 70
MPH. I had all 4 wheels high speed balanced 3 times, and even put
Nitrogen in the tires. No Luck. After printing off some of the fixes
published on your site, I shared them with my dealer. He e-mailed LR
and with great difficulty and lots of pressure, he was able to get a
new front axle and steering column. The new front axle did very little
to solve the problem, but the new steering column (and I assume new
steering box) fixed the problem entirely. It is now a completely
different vehicle- it rides and steers so great!. It was very difficult
for my dealer to get the parts- it took almost 4 weeks, but the fix is
incredible. LR should upgrade all 2005 and newer models with the
improved unit. I understand that the new steering column may have been
manufactured at a different location hence the difficulty in obtaining
the part."

2. Vibration felt at
Standstillor very low speedProblem:
A number of owners including Don
Anderson report feeling the vibration through the steering column
when
in drive, with the foot brake applied and the wheel turned slightly
either
right or left. This does not happen if the shifter is in "park". It
only
happens when stationary or moving at no more than back-up speed. Bernard
Green gave another typical report of this problem, experiencing
vibration
whilst standing with gear in Drive and either Hand Brake or Foot Brake
on, also when standing with steering wheel locked on (turning right on
an incline). As others have found, when engaging Neutral the vibration
stops.
As of spring 2003, Land Rover were aware of the problem and were
"working
on it". Bernard's local dealer thought it might be due to his recent
upgrade
to the 19 inch wheels, but he first noticed it when he still had the 18
inch wheels. Simon Davies
also reports a vibration coming from the front of the vehicle when
moving slowly which seems to be only present during every half rotation
of the road wheels. This is not noticeable at speed.

Solution:
This vibration now appears to be a separate issue from the valve
problem
mentioned above. This became evident in late July 2003 after another
owner
reported vibration on his brand new RR he just picked up (build date
April
2003): "I get vibration through the steering wheel with the car in
Drive
and my foot on the brake pedal. There is no vibration when I take
my foot off the brake or switch into neutral or park. The
vibration
worsens a little when the car is warm and is lessened somewhat when the
AC is turned on and the idle RPM increases". A day or two later,
after a successful trip to the dealer, he was able to report that "It
appears
that the base idle speed (without the AC turned on) was set too low
from
the factory. The idle speed has been reset and the vibration now
seems normal. Turning on the AC now only causes a blip in the RPM as
opposed
to a jump. I compared the fix to a new RR which exhibited the
same
problem which they will be fixing".

Another cause of low speed vibration is the driveshafts -- Colin
Lewis of Sutton Coldfield reports: "The
vibration felt at low speeds is most definitely the drive shafts that
need replacing. Range Rover issued a bulletin in May 2005. My
driveshafts were replaced and now there is no more vibration." For more
details on this variation, see the "Drivetrain
Vibration" section above.

Steering Wheel Problems
Tim from Scotland reports having some minor issues on his TD6 with
his steering wheel, and that the "suede" effect
trim on the little arms
joining the wheel boss to the rim comes off. He reports that LR are
fitting new
steering wheels to the vehicles.

Stereo System
Issues
Chris Waters reported his stereo started
making a crackling noise from the tweeter in the front door and the
speaker behind the rear seats after the battery was changed. The
amplifier was stripped and signs of corrosion were found in it; the
dealer was unable to repair it but when they replaced it the problem
disappeared.

Tailgate
Latch ProblemCurt Anderson
reports "The hatch lock on my vehicle came loose recently. Now it will
close only if you try and tighten down the two allyn wrench bolts on the
tailgate. However, you need to do this every time you open and close the hatch as
they come loose. With them loose the hatch closes but the trunk light will stay
on. Tough when you have the rear compartment cover on as you cannot tell if the
light has gone out when you close the hatch."

Tire
Problems: Noise, Uneven Wear, "Cupping".

A large number of
owners have reported problems with the tires, especially the Goodyears
fitted as OEM equipment in 2002-2004 (2003/2004 model years). Typical
is tire noise after 5 or 10K miles, with uneven wear or cupping evident
on the tires. Most have reported that replacement with another brand
(especially Pirellis) seems to fix the problem. You should also get the
wheel alignment checked to see whether that is a possible cause.

For example, one owner reported a "whup; whup" vibration that
could be heard, felt thru the steering wheel, corresponding to road
speed, evening out at higher speeds.In his case,
the rear left tire had a rippled, alternating wear but the other 3
tires were good.
Another owner reports that Land Rover knows about the problem and have now
changed the 19" tires to Michelins. However if you have the Goodyears,
Land Rover won't replace them as tire wear is not covered under
warranty. Goodyear will replace them on a pro-rated basis, but only
with more Goodyears, so you will probably end up with the same
problem. Marshall Cole reported a similar
problem with excessive tire noise on his 2004 RR with Dunlop tires. It began
about 10,000 miles and became very bad at 14,000. Sultan Al Mahmood had the same
problem but it went away when he replaced the tires with Pirellis. He also
recommends rotating the tires (diagonally) every 10,000 km to avoid a
recurrence.

Towing Peculiarities

This model has an odd trailer hitch arrangement, which is recessed
11+
inches behind the rear bumper. Tom
Cirillo reports that when he first got his new model Range Rover
and
wanted to tow a trailer with it, the dealer did not know how to hook up
a conventional hitch ball to the receiver. It transpires that this
requires
a 'Range Rover trailer kit', which is nothing more than a long
extension
for the ball mount. One has to question the mechanical wisdom of an
arrangement
requiring the ball mount to be cantilevered about a foot out back of
the
hitch receiver, but I am sure it has been thoroughly tested. However,
I would be wary of using aftermarket hitch extensions in case they
are not strong enough. The official kit also includes a trailer wiring
harness, which is relatively complex due to the sophistication of the
electrical
system on the new model. Ron
Beckett reports that it sends a signal to the vehicle's BeCM.

Bernard Green reports
having a Range Rover Factory Tow Bar & Wiring fitted by his local
agent
in Sheffield........ the work was carried out in the day, as
complicated as it is. He reports: "The vehicle tows my 23ft caravan
like a dream.........on this one STICK TO GENUINE GEAR......IT WORKS,
no
problems
in hitching up, the swan neck ball works fine. Cost £700 though."

Laurie Wadman reports that
Hayman
Reece, an Australian company, has manufactured a tow coupling for Rover
Australia, to adapt the original factory hitch receiver to the lower
height
used in Australia.

Roy Sherlock of Ireland reports
"I had a genuine RR removable tow bar fitted
to my TD6 - the adjustable type, not the swan neck type. When towing an
empty trailer, the assembly makes an infernal banging noise as a result
of 'play' between fixed and removable sections of the tow assembly. RR
say nobody else has made such a complaint. It is obviously a design
fault and is unacceptable on such an otherwise quiet jeep."

Transmission Shifting Malfunction
Simon Davies reports (April 2004) a new problem we have not come
across before -- "When going up steep hills it decelerates - prompting
me to depress the accelerator more and more with very little/no effect.
Then it suddenly revs excessively and picks up. It seems very all or
nothing." In May 2004 Simon was able to elaborate and provide an update
of the problem: "My concern is about the RR going up steep hills.
Strange throttle response, plus a degree of transmission backlash when
decelerating at the top (rather akin to feeling like the rear axle is
shunting the front). My local dealer went to a great deal of trouble
taking me to a steep hill and allowing me to transverse the same hill
in their own 4.4 as well as mine, for comparative purposes. They were
just the same. It seems that the RR electronics take inputs from a
number of position and load sensors; when the vehicle is pointing up
steep hills, and the energy required to move the car alters,
adjustments to the normal engine response are made. These account for
the non linear throttle. I guess they also account for the driveline
shunt at the top because the management electronics can't detect that I
can see the end of the slope and back off. I'm very happy with the
dealer (Testers of Edenbridge, Kent), but (as usual) less happy with LR
as I feel this makes the car a little less refined than I'd expect."

Update October 2004:
Another owner reports a similar problem
and has found the cause: "There is a sensor
connected to the radiator that malfunctions and sends a wrong signal to
one of the computers that makes the transmission shift incorrectly.
They have
to replace the entire radiator because the sensor is permanently
connected to
it; brilliant engineering huh. Mine has been replaced twice. Hopes this
helps
others!"

Yousuf found a similar
effect when he drove his RR 4.4 in the desert. The reason in his case
was that he did not disable the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), which
kept decelerating the car in the RPM range above about 1,500. Thus he
advises that for any sort of off-roading in the RR 4.4 the DSC should
be disabled.

Transmission Hesitant to Shift:
Adam Loera reports his 2004 model revs up to 3500 or 4000 rpm before
shifting up to the next gear.

Vibration Problems

The most common problems I keep hearing from owners of the new model
have to do with vibrations felt through the steering, brake or gas
pedal. These are dealt with in the following sections:Steering Wheel Vibration, above.Drivetrain Vibration, above.

Brake Rotor Vibration:
Another vibration was reported recently by Hayel, who purchased his new Range
Rover in March 2003. He says the car is otherwise perfect, but he has had to
have his brake rotors changed 3 times due to vibration. The car only has 24,000
km on it.

Whining Noise from Turbocharger (Diesel
Models)The turbocharger on some
TD6 vehicles seems to be faulty and produces a whining noise. Steve I. who has a TD6 model
in Ireland reported: "At 1300 rpm at approximately 30 to 40 mph you can
hear a
noticeable engine whine coming from the right front side. So
far my local dealer has not been able to offer any suggestion. During a
3 week stay the dealership replaced
drive shafts, which cured a vibration when turning to the right. They
replaced the injectors. They also replaced the turbo unit, still no
change, and the whining continued. Land Rover Ireland sent their top
people to have a look at the car, and they said that everything that
could be done had been done, and it was just one of those things.
Thankfully as I have been a
customer of this particular dealer for years, their chief mechanic as a
last resort decided to replace the new turbo. Guess what, the whining
is gone!"

Bernard Green
of England
had the same problem, which was also cured when his dealer replaced the
turbo. Similarly, Andrew
Neville had a strange whistling noise from his TD6 (purchased in
late 2003) at about 2,500 rpm,, especially at about half throttle and
under load. Andrew reports (February 2005) that after it had become
really loud, it was finally cured when the turbo was replaced. Martyn
in the UK also had this noise, which he said some call the 'Singing
Turbo Lady'. His sounded like an ambulance siren when the rev's rose
between 1,000 & 2,000 RPM. The main dealer (reluctantly) changed
the turbocharger and the noise disappeared

Whooshing
Noise from Turbocharger (Diesel Models)

One reader who purchased a used 2003 Range
Rover TD6 SE found that when accelerating reasonably hard she got a
whooshing noise( not to be confused with turbo whine)
from under the hood. "The fault/ noise was traced to a hole in the
turbo intercooler sited just below the radiator just by the front tow
hitch. It had been hit by a stone and split for approximately 3 inches.
I have repaired the split with liquid metal and the noise has gone. NOT
TO MENTION THAT MY FUEL ECONOMY HAS GONE UP IN THE BARGAIN!"Winch Availability

At the Range Rover launch
I was told by the resident off-road
instructor
that Warn was not going to make a winch mount for the Mk III Range
Rover
as it did for the 4.0/4.6, due to the difficulty of airbag
compatibility
etc. This seemed like a feeble excuse, as the same applied to the
4.0/4.6
for which a great mount was produced -- which I have personally and has
saved me on several occasions). I was extremely disappointed by this
"news",
but then heard from an alert reader that Yes!!!,
indeed, one was being developed by Warn.

Steve Gurney was at
Eastnor Castle (Land Rover's traditional proving
ground) early in February 2003 and they had just returned the first
prototype
to Warn after testing. It was rejected as it protruded out too far -
seriously
affecting approach angle. According to one of the guys it was much
worse
than the winch mounting for the 4.0/4.6 which I have (that one, which I
have, does admittedly stick out too far in the front but on the good
side
does give excellent access to the cable drum and has skids welded onto
the protruding parts).

However, Warn are now
producing a new prototype that will fit into a
cut out in the bumper and be recessed into it. They were hoping to get
this back for testing in Feb and March to sign off in time for the G4
event
to show it off. Steve reports that these RR's will first be used in
Australia,
but will be present in US and South Africa for press purposes.

Personally, I waited
before purchasing my 4.0SE until a winch option
was available, so the availability of one for the Mk III will make this
model all the more irresistible!!

Window Control Trim
PeelingThe rubber coating around the power window buttons on the front
driver side door is prone to peeling off. Hakan Durag of Istanbul
experienced this effect on his 2003 RR -- he was told this was a
common problem and the dealer changed the entire rubber coated casing
that surrounds the power window switches. I
have also experienced slight peeling of this trim, and decided to wait
til it was bad enough before reporting it to the dealer. (Hakan
reports (2006) that now the rubber material covering the steering wheel
columns have started peeling and he plans to ask the dealer to replace
this on his next visit). For more information on this see the L322 Interior Trim Problems &
Solutions page.

Windshield &
Front Vents Vibration / Buzzing Noise

One reader told me that
on the two new Range Rovers he has driven,
both
had a windshield vibration. Another owner, Steve Gurney, had this
problem
on his Mk III Vogue. It occurs at speed over 50 mph and loudness is
dependent
on wind speed/direction. It is to do with the air vents and the
windscreen
mounts. Steve reports that production has changed the internal vent
design
and the windscreen mount is now wider. There is a back-log on these
parts
as all initial supplies were being diverted to production cars. The new
windscreen design was introduced from approximately late November 2002
onwards.

Another case of this
vibration was reported by Earl Thiel who
tells us that on his '03 Range Rover he experiences "the Vibration coming from
the windshield area-intermittently at 40-50 mph."

Of course apart from Land Rover build quality issues, one of the
problems this highlights is that Land Rover has been caught up in the
American Madison Avenue method of model year dating so the 03 models
are really 02's. This is also annoying when it comes to buying a used
RR -- to determine what year it really is, look at the build date on
the rear of the driver's door.

Another owner recently
reported a leaking windshield which was
later sealed by the dealer.

Windshield Wipers Banging
on "A" Pillar
When using the windshield wipers, the left front one can
hit the left "A" pillar at highway speeds (not evident at lower
speeds). When I first reported this problem on my 2004 model, the dealer
gave the familiar answer of "not being able to replicate the problem "because it wasn't raining. I later figured out that you can replicate it
by driving at high speed with the windshield washers activated to
simulate rain. In 2008 Andrew Elmore and I both happened to get our
dealers to have another try at this problem, and by that time they had
encountered enough instances of this issue to know that it is due to
the wiper being set to the wrong position on its shaft. The design
allows the wiper blade to be fitted in several orientations or
"notches", and a simple adjustment of this setting cures the problem.

Most often the local
dealer is the best bet for parts for the later
models. If you patronize yours frequently, they may give you a
discount.
Most aftermarket parts sources do not yet
have
many parts for the Mk III, but I have found a few and have started a
new page on parts and
accessory sources specifically for the Mk III Range Rover.